Jam Session
Percussion Search It had been three days since the extravagant meeting between Joplin Joan and Bessonova Anna as well as their sudden team-up against Cranberry Caprice. The -centered pirate crew had sailed through the open sea of and found themselves docked at due to their . Currently, the crew was sitting at a nearby cafe and having an important discussion that could decide the very fate of the world. "The name of our crew should be Guns n' Roses! It fits with my red and black aesthetic and your... hmmm." Joan hummed to herself in thought, ignoring the sound of 's palm smacking directly into his face at the blunt attitude of his newfound captain. It was honestly amazing how she acted sometimes, almost as if she was deliberately trying to piss off people. In the end, it didn't matter so long as he did his job and got compensated for it. "Oh, your idol shit! Roses are used by idols, right?" Joan questioned, turning to Roadie who was drinking another mug of rum as if his life depended on it. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think many idols use roses.” A brightly colored man said to the left of Anna, his hair a striking blue hue and his clothing neon in color, his muscles shown due to his lack of upper body clothing. Despite his striking and intense appearance, he seemed shy in a way, his eyes glancing back and forth from Anna to Roadie, looking the man up and down before looking away, repeating that multiple times, being as subtle as he could be, puffing up his chest as a means to impress Roadie, looking back to Anna awaiting her impending response “We’re not naming our crew Guns n' Roses! What kind of name is that?! We should call ourselves the Superb Nova Generation!” Anna yelled, waving her arms through the air as she proposed her name, displaying a beautiful image of their name on a billboard in her head, in awe at her beautiful name decision, Joan just had to agree with her, or so she thought. "Rejected! It's tacky and I refuse to have my name attached to a name thought up with the creativity of a five-year-old!" Joan cried aloud as she slammed her fist on the table, causing the various dishes to shake as a result. If they were going to make this crew, the name of it had to be grand! Impressive! Explosive! It had to be hardcore and awesome! Like her. "We should call ourselves Heaven & Hell Pirates! You'll be the Heaven of the crew because you are soft and all about being pure and junk like other idols while I'll be the Hell of the crew, badass and raining down flames as well as rock n' roll." "That's kind of a mouthful and even then, I feel like that name has been taken before in the past." Roadie informed, stealing one of Joan's onion rings. "You guys could come up with something a lot better than that." “Yeah. Why not something like the Seastar Girls or the Seastar Brigade.” Seiryu said with a smile, proud of his idea. “It’s okay, Roadie. Joan’s probably used to her mouth being full!” Anna barker back, slamming her hands on her table, shaking the already unstable plates even more as Seiryu tried to balance it all, slightly dismissing Seiryu’s ideas with her loud remarks. "What the hell did you fucking say to me?! I hear that you idols have to spread your legs in order to get a deal, so you must be used to lying on your back!" Joan retaliated, getting in front of Anna's face with her red eyes glaring directly into her partner's eyes. "Oh, that's a pretty good name. Seiryu is correct, Seastar Girls is a good name." Roadie said, ignoring the argument between Joan and Anna. "Though, I think the name Sea-Star Pirates would fit a lot better when we are referring to ourselves under the banner of a pirate crew." “Thanks! Now we just have to wait till they stop arguing so they can hear it.” Seiryu said, smiling ear to ear, his cheeks blushing his hair even seemed to get brighter, his mood a total 180 compared to the two girls beside him. “Spread MY legs?! Everyone knows you rocker girls sleep around, you’ve probably had an entire tour bus run through you in only a few miles! I wouldn’t be surprised if you even fucked Roadie!” Anna screamed, waving her arms frantically as she spoke and stomping on the floor, the plates becoming even more unstable as she picked up a piece of chicken and ripped some meat off it the bone before throwing it back in the plate. "Please don't drag me into this." Roadie requested with an annoyed look, taking a bite of his steak. While he was also annoyed at Anna's statement between him and Joan, he already knew he didn't have to say anything. His adopted little sister would defend him after all. "Excuse me?! I'm not some floozie like that and I wouldn't fuck my own brother, even if we aren't related by blood! My brother isn't into that weird siscon shit you probably practice with your fans!" Joan screamed, her eyes blazing with anger as she swallowed her entire burger in a single bite before belching in Anna's face as she held up her hand towards Roadie for a high five. He left her hanging but Joan wouldn't put her hand down. "Besides, how do I know you aren't sleeping Sei-Sei?! He seems to be your type after all!" “How fucking dare you!! I would never fuck Sei! He’s like a brother to me! You really never know with you rock star whores! You’ve probably be bent over a drum set right before your performance! I’ve always wondered why your skin looked so nice, it’s probably all the unborn kids you’ve had splattered on your face, you bitch!” Anna screamed back, stomping her foot frantically, her eyes raging and her fist balled so tight her nails dig into her skin. “Yeah, I’d also like to be left out of this.” Sei spoke, drowned out by the sounds of the girls yelling, not so much annoyed as he was nervous as to where the conversation would go, and of course, he and Anna knew there was only one person on the ship he had his eyes on. "Excuse me, you failed abortion?! I'll-!" Before Joan had the chance to continue the argument, it was silenced by Roadie punched the table as it collapsed underneath the force of his strike like a twig. His dark eyes glared between Joan and Anna with annoyance, having clearly reached his mark for the amount of bullshit he was willing to put up with. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and spoke. "You both are done with this meaningless argument, do you understand? Because if you don't, I'll personally shove my fist so far up your asses, I'll change the both of you from a musician and an idol into my personal muppets!" Roadie screamed as the people around them dashed off, scared at the threat even if it wasn't directed towards them. "Are we clear on this?" “Wow...” Sei sat in his chair as the table crumbled before him, Roadie silencing the space around them. Sei stared at Roadie intensely, his eyes not moving as his cheeks began to slightly blush, despite his attempts to hide it, he was stuck in his own thoughts, not even realizing how much he had been staring or blushing. “How dare you call HER, a musician!” Anna screamed, not catching onto the tone of the room in time, her yell echoing across the small ship deck as she stared confused between Roadie, Joan, and Sei, picking up on the vibe of the room and slamming back down into her seat with a huff, crossing her arms and legs as she glared at Roadie and Joan, still steaming from yet another of her and Joan’s arguments. "Yeah, the only thing she should be idolized for is the amount of di-!" Before Joan could finish her sentence, Roadie glared at her as she closed her mouth immediately at the sight of his stare. Sighing, Roadie looked up at the sky before speaking. "Look, I understand that you guys get along as well as water and oil but you guys are stronger together than apart and you... " Roadie points at Joan who blinked in surprise. "...asked her to join and make this crew. So, stop with your bullshit and just work with her already." Joan sighed, knowing her adopted brother was once again. Looking over at Anna, she gave a smirk and questioned. "The name Sea-Star Pirates does have a ring to it, don’t ya think?" “Yea, not as good as the name I chose, but good enough.” Anna said reluctantly, her arms crossed as she glared at Joan and Roadie. “So that settles it! We’re the Sea-Star Pirates!” Sei exclaimed, jumping from his seat in exclamation, his muscles bulging from his chest and his hair bouncing up in the process. "Good. Now, we continue towards the next point of business." Roadie said, giving a smile at having everything resolved. "We should check out this Drum Off competition going on? I'm sure it would be pretty cool to see since we've got the time to do so." "Oh, that's a great idea! I can even get one of them to join up with me and collab as well!" Joan said with a devilish grin on her face. Despite her incredible skils with a guitar, she knew her music would rise to new heights if she got a drummer in order to work alongside her. Of course, she could only have the best on her crew. Hopefully, she could find someone who fits the bill to work with her. "Let's go check this out!" The rock n' roll guitarist said, leaping up out of her seat as she rushed off towards where she assumed it was taking place. “Come on, Sei, let’s go see what new talent we can find.” Anna said, following off behind Joan and Roadie. Despite the fact that she was no rockstar, she saw and heard what her music was like when paired with Joan, so that along with a drummer could be even better, she had her hopes high, and her ears even higher. The Spirit of Competition The townspeople of Sonar Island were seen gathering to the central plaza with a joyful atmosphere as the long-awaited Drum Off Competition was scheduled to take place very soon. It had been advertised and promoted for weeks to various islands and all the best drum artists from across the seas were expected to be there, including the most infamous one who was known by his nickname "Sticks". It wouldn't be a stretch to say most of the inhabitants of the island were coming just to see him as his reputation after he had officially become a pirate skyrocketed. Whether out of admiration of fear, people wanted to see Sticks and this competition was sure to bring him out. On the subject of Sticks, a young man wearing a black beanie on his head and a sleeveless fur coat was spotted bristly walking through the streets, munching on a cheeseburger. His eyes darted from one part of the town to the other, whistling when he counted the rather large amount of people that had gathered on this island. "They all must be excited about the Drum Off, huh?" He swallowed the bite, savoring the delicacy in his hand. He had arrived on this island a few days ago and had fallen in love with this island's cheeseburgers that were mouth-wateringly good. Was it the cheese or the added pickles that gave it that rich texture? It didn't matter, it was freaking good. He swallowed the rest of the burger and threw the wrapper away, clearing his throat as he stretched his body. Now that he had filled his stomach and already done his morning workout, it was time to get down to business as he began running to the location of where the Drum Off was set to take place. "I wanna get a good look at my competition. Maybe I'll even find someone who even better than me. Heh, wouldn't that be a shock?" He said excitedly, hopeful that this competition would be both invigorating and fun. Hundreds if not thousands of islanders had gathered together in front of a large platform where several drummers were standing on, setting up their stations and finalizing their equipment as they prepared for the face-off. Whispers and murmurs were heard amongst the crowd in anticipation for the competition as everyone speculated who would be the winner. Some claimed it would be the rock and roll Drummer known as Big Hands while others believed Flashy who was known for his speed drumming would take home the prize. However, there was no denying that the drummer everyone had their eyes on would be Sticks with his unusual drumming style that some people couldn't explain. At the entrance of the competition, the guard who was allowing people in and out spotted a rather peculiar group of two men being led by a female duo as they approached the venue. "Welcome to the Drum Off!" The muscular and tall dark-skinned man greeted them with a smile but then looked a bit confused. "Huh, I don't recognize you guys from this island. Are you all travelers?" "Hell yeah! We are here to check out your competition!" Joan said with a grin, adjusting the strap to the guitar case on her back. She was pretty excited to see this "Drum Off" as, truth be told, Joan had come to the realization if she didn't get a drum for her crew, it would spell the end for her career due to stagnation. "So, do we just sit down or what?" Roadie sighed at the frivolous words of his adopted sister before looking towards the guard. "I believe she means, how much to we need to pay for tickets to get into the Drum Off?" “Oh, of course! For a normal ticket it’s 15,000 for a V.I.P ticket it’s 30,000!” The ticket booth worker said with a smile, slightly taken aback by Joan’s earlier words, directing the group's sight to the prices listed on the board to his left. “I’ll have 4 V.I.P tickets,” Anna said, arriving from behind Joan and Roadie. She reached deep into her purse, pulling out the proper coins, passing them over to the man. “Thank you for your purchase! Your money will go to financing this event for years to come, as well as compensating the many musicians who perform!” The man exclaimed, handing Anna four golden lanyards and directing the group to the now open gate. “Here.” Anna threw a lanyard to Joan, Roadie, and Sei, putting hers on and flipping her hair back up and out of the lanyard around her neck, drawing a few stray eyes as she walked through the gates, waiting for the group on the other side. Placing her lanyard around her neck, Joan walked in after Anna and blinked in surprise at the sight of how full the stadium was, seeing the entire venue was nearly filled as there was an astronomical number of individuals who were seated. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to see Roadie pointing at Anna and Sei who were already ahead of them. Grinning sheepishly, she strutted after the popstar and her manager as Roadie shook his head as he followed after his little sister. "Man, I've gotta admit I wasn't expecting to see so many people at a music event for drummers," Joan said, glancing around as she approached Anna and Sei. "People have different preferences in what makes up the main part of a song. For you, it would probably be the guitars or bass but for these people, its the drums and they enjoy that to a high level. After all, your fans enjoy your music when you could benefit from other instruments." Roadie lectured, scratching his chin as he avoided an excited fan nearly rushing into him. "I guess that's true." Joan said as she tapped her chin, glancing down at the stage below. "I just hope I see someone who can really 'wow' me, ya know?" "I'm sure there's someone here worthwhile. This is way more people than I expected." Anna remarked, now walking side by side with Joan and Roadie as Sei looked around to the front of the group. "So, where should we go first?" Sei said from the front of the group, still looking through the crowd, in search of a special sound in a seat of cymbal crashes and drumstick hits. "We should take our seats. If we are going to search for a drummer, I wanna be as relaxed as possible." Roadie stated as he observed the stage as well. "Oh, that’s true. Let’s get a move on!" Joan exclaimed as she rushed ahead to find their seats with Roadie trailing after her, beckoning Anna and Sei to follow them. As the four of them searched for a pair of appropriate seats to get the best view, they were soon approached by a young woman with brown hair wearing a formal uniform as she greeted the group with a smile. "Hello. It seems to me your having difficulty finding some open seats. Please, follow me. As you are all V.I.P guests, we have the best seats available for our esteemed patrons" She beckoned them to follow her as she directed them through the crowded plaza to the V.I.P section that was located on a higher level than the ground floor where numerous rich looking individuals were seated. They walked up the stairs and the lady pointed towards an open group of seats that gave them a full scale view of the Drum Off and were at the front. "I hope these seats are to your liking. We'll be serving food and refreshments during the performances so please don't hesitate to call upon one of the staff should you require anything. Please, enjoy your stay" She bowed respectfully and left the group to their devices. Joan was sitting on the edge of her seat, barely containing her excitement as the start of the competition neared. Glancing over to Roadie who was focusing on the stage, she nudged him with a large grin on her face. "I can't wait to meet my new drummer here. It's gonna be exciting as hell!" Puzzled, Roadie questioned with a raised eyebrow. "And how do you know you'll meet the drummer of your dreams here? For all you know, these guys won't meet your standard of musical talent." Joan poked her adopted brother in the face and gave a demonic grin. "Oh trust me, Roadie. I know that I'll find my drummer here. I can feel the talent in the air." She focused her attention back on the stage as her red eyes shined with anticipation. "They'll be able to rock the all of the blues with your beat. They have to if they wanna join my crew." "Stop being such a realist, Roadie. Sometimes you just need to be unrealistic and have some hope." Anna remarked, taking a seat next to Anna, Sei following behind her, but rather than sitting next to Anna, he took a seat next to Roadie. "Hope you don't mind if I sit here." Sei muttered, avoiding eye contact, noticeably shy, but trying his absolute hardest to hide and shred of it from Roadie. As the four of them settled down into their seats, a sharply dressed man appeared on the center stage platform in front of the widespread audience that covered the entire plaza. With a microphone in his hand, he smiled widely and took a deep breath before he shouted into his device. "Thank you all for coming to the Drum Off! I'm sure you're all here to see the best drumming performances the mighty seas of the Grand Line has to offer, am I right!?" His voice was thunderous as the crowd roared in agreement. Nodding his head, the man continued. "That's what I like to hear! The rules of this competition are quite simple. Each drummer will perform their best solo on this stage and once they've all finished, we'll let you the audience decide which one was the best based on how loudly you cheer for them. Does that sound like a good time, hm?" He asked already knowing the answer. As he predicted, the crowd were in full agreement and the excitement in the air was electrifying. No one could wait anymore, they wanted to see it now! "Hehe, no need to be so impatient. We'll start things off right now!" The host himself was also excited and he turned to the dozen or so drummers behind him with a friendly expression. "The stage is set and I hope you all can put on a fantastic show" He smiled when he saw the nods of acknowledgment from the various drummers but frowned momentarily when he looked through them all and found someone missing. "..Where in the world could Sticks be? I already informed him when he should be here but there's still no sight of him" The host was very worried. Sticks was by far the most popular drummer they had managed to invite and were expecting an amazing show from him. If he didn't show up, things might get real messy with the large crowd down below. "We'll just have to buy some time for him" The host nodded to himself before signaling to the first drummer that he could begin. While that was going on, a familiar young man was seen miles back from the performance stage, running as fast as he could hear the sounds of drumming way up ahead. "Damn it, I shouldn't have stopped for another bite at that restaurant. Hope I'm not too late" He'd never forgive himself if he missed the competition and picked up the pace. With how large the crowd was, it was gonna take a while before he could get to the stage and he hoped he'd make it in time. Ten minutes in and several drummers had already performed on stage, with the crowd having been pleasantly entertained and amused at some of the unique styles they had seen. One of the staff attendants was serving out refreshments and snacks and passed through the V.I.P section where she offered the group of four a plate full of delicacies with a smile. "Care for a drink? Or perhaps a small meal? I hope you've all enjoyed the Drum Off so far" "I'll take a beer and some fries if you don't mind and I've been enjoying it so far." Roadie replied before glancing over at Joan who was currently slumped over within her seat with a bored expression on her face. He could already tell what was going through his sister's mind, having been around her for a long time but knew it was better if she directed her attention to him and not one of the staff attendants. "What do you think of the event so far, Joan?" "These guys are pretty good but none of them are playing anything that really stands out to me. It just sounds like the most generic shit, ya know?" Joan frowned as she unenthusiastically stared at the stage watching the current drummer play his heart out. She wasn't trying to be rude but they all had some specific style that was restricted to a certain brand of music. She wanted someone who was universal, being able to adapt to whatever genre she wanted to play. "Maybe, my gut feeling was wrong." She lamented with a sigh, resting her head in her palm. "I'll take a lemonade and a funnel cake for the blue-haired guy over there." Anna remarked as she pointed over to Sei who was watching the show diligently. She slumped back into her seat and watched the performers, nothing really caught her eye, sure, their technique was good, but they lacked the uniqueness to match what she and Joan were already bringing to the table. "Eh, I expected better." Anna said aloud, now only half watching the show, most of her attention waiting on her drink. While the two ladies had much higher standards than the average person watching the show, there were others in the crowd who had started to share in their disappointment as time passed. “This is starting to get boring” A husky old man grumbled from the left corner as he sighed. “I thought this competition would be more exciting but so far it’s just been meh” A younger man said with a frown as the latest drummer left the stage. The host’s ears immediately picked up on the change amongst the crowd as a nervous sweat fell from his forehead. This wasn’t good; the crowd was beginning to weary of the repetitive performances. There was no doubt these drummers were talented but eventually, once you’ve seen a handful of drummers, you’ve seen them all. “Damn it” He cursed “That’s why I need Sticks here! He could easily change the vibe with his unique and crazy style” The host darted his eyes everywhere, hoping to catch a glimpse of the severely late teenager but alas, his hopes went unanswered. “Hey!” A woman in the crowd shouted, altering everyone’s attention. “Where's Sticks!? The only reason I came here was to watch him!” “Yeah” This time, it was a man stepped up. “Bring him out! I paid good money for these tickets because I heard that Sticks was going to perform!” “That’s right, where is he!?” “Sticks! Sticks! Sticks!” There were shouts coming from all over the plaza as the host was astonished that the situation had become this dire already. Worst case scenario; there might be a brawl on his hands. “E-Everyone! Please remain calm, we promise that Sticks will definitely perform today!” “S-Sir, w-what should we do?” Several of the staff had approached the host at the side as they feared for their lives with how rowdy the crowd was becoming. “How should I know!? Have you found Sticks yet!?” He shouted. “N-No sir, we still haven’t located him” “Useless! What good is the money I’m paying you if you can’t even find one man on this island!” He was at his wit’s end as he wanted to pull out his hair at how everything was spiraling out of control.. Even the drummers backstage were getting nervous as dejected looks appeared on their faces, clearly showing that they felt insulted that they were being completely ignored. Just as the host looked ready to run away and crawl in a hole, a sudden voice was heard somewhere amongst the countless people gathered in the plaza. “Don’t you guys know that the best is always saved for last?” Several sets of eyes turned around to see the appearance of a young man wearing a beanie with a cocky grin on his face as he jumped into the air and twirled his drum sticks. He then slammed them against the air behind his figure, propelling him forward like a rocket through the air pressure that had been released from his drum sticks hitting the air. “W-What the hell!” “Oh my god!” “That’s him! That’s Sticks!” Gasps of amazement were heard across the crowd as they watched Sticks soar through the air until he eventually landed on the platform after doing a front spin and he addressed the crowd with a wide smile. “Sorry for being late but better late than never, am I right?” Taking the Spotlight There was dead silence in the plaza before an eruption of cheers and roars exploded from the crowd. “It’s about damn time!” The host immediately ran over and tearfully hugged the flabbergasted Gray. “Where were you!? Thank goodness! I was so worried they’d kill me!” The host comically wept as Gray tried to pry the man off him while apologizing. “Sorry, I lost track of time and had a difficult time getting through the enormous crowd” “Oh don’t worry about that, your forgiven you loveable bastard!” The host forgave him completely and after a few more moments of hugging, composed himself before grabbing the mic from one of the embarrassed staff and addressed the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen! We’re terribly sorry for the wait but I now present to you our main event. You already know him but here he is; Sticks!” The drummer yelled and the crowd roared in anticipation as even the harsher audience members were thrilled to see what this young man could do. Gray waved towards the crowd and swept his gaze over them before his eyes settled on the VIP section on the left where he noticed a peculiar group of four seated together watching him intently. Gray had no idea why but he could tell that they were more than just your average citizens, especially the two women, and a fire was ignited in his spirit to perform even better than usual to impress their judging eyes. “''Heh, you wanna see what I got? I’ll give you guys a show you won’t ever forget''” He smirked at them before focusing back on the crowd as he prepared himself for his performance. Joan's eyes perked up at the sudden announcement of the drummer known as "Sticks", hearing the various cheers of the patrons around her as he walked out onto the stage. Just by looking at him, she could already tell there was something different about him when compared to the other drummers they had seen before in the Drum-Off. He had a certain air around him that seemed to cause something to resonate within her. Unable to stop herself, Joan leaned forward in her seat as a demonic grin spread across her face in excitement. "Come on, Drummer Boy. Show me what you've got." Joan whispered to herself, her crimson eyes shining with anticipation. "I see he's got you all riled up, Joan" Anna remarked, watching as Joan's attention was locked on the boy, despite their short time being together, Anna could read her like a book. Anna sat back in her seat, sipping her drink, she knew if he had Joan's attention, he must be the real deal. The crowd could hardly contain their excitement as even the other drummers who were considered Gray’s rivals looked anxious and dying to see just what was the fuss about with this guy. Once his preparations were set, Gray stretched his body and took a deep breath. It was a trick he learned to calm his nerves before a big performance and it had never failed him before as he looked ready to throw down, smirking as he twirled his signature drum sticks in his hands. “It’s showtime” Gray wasted no more time as he got right into a catchy and easy to follow base snare beat that had the audience bobbing along. It was fun and upbeat as Gray watched more and more people get into it and he continued to do so before switching to a faster beat that was focused more on the toms of his drum set and got some of the younger audience members up on their feet vibing to it. Gray maneuvered the drum sticks in his hand with perfect rhythm as he always kept his eyes on the audience, gauging their reactions and adjusting his pace to match with the current vibe. Because drum performances could get boring rather quickly, it was essential for a drummer to always mix things up and pay attention to what their audiences preferred. Switching once more, Gray was now hitting the back cymbals and producing a slower, more relaxed beat as the older audience members appreciated the slow jam more than the upbeat tempo. “I-Incredible…” The host who was watching behind the curtain expressed with shock at what he was witnessing. Most drummers stuck to one style and tried to perfect it but not only was Gray clearly proficient in various styles, he actually seemed to be getting better with each passing second as the beats changed and had more variation. “''I think I’ve warmed up enough. Let’s kick it up a level''” Finished with his warm up, Gray’s eyes shined as he began striking every drum kit with blinding speed, producing a multi-faceted beat that made almost every audience member drop their jaw in shock. He was moving his hands so fast they became blurs and it almost felt as if the drums were playing themselves. Even the most die hard fans were stunned before they began cheering loudly in a frenzy, unable to get enough. This was easily the greatest drum performance they had ever seen! The waitress who had been serving the VIP section and standing near Joan and Anna even dropped the plate she was holding as she was beyond captivated by the artistry performance. “I-I can’t believe my eyes…” Category:Arukana Category:GeminiVIII Category:CoolBlackZ Category:Role-Plays Category:World Tour Saga